


Beneath My Bed

by psychophoenix (psychoticphoenix)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: AU, Fluff, Horror, KaiSoo - Freeform, M/M, horror fluff, kaido - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2015-07-17
Packaged: 2018-04-09 20:11:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4362566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychoticphoenix/pseuds/psychophoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyungsoo tries to get over his fear of the monster under his bed the best way he knows how: by invading its territory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unsystematic Dysensitization

**Author's Note:**

> Also on my AFF (http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/951149/) account.

Kyungsoo gets on his hands and knees on the floor, blowing a wayward strand of hair from where it’s poking his eye. He’s breathing hard, wondering what the hell in the world ever possessed him to act on this stupid idea. He shifts, the position brutal on his elbows. He lets his head thump on the floor, debating whether or not to go through with his plan. He could feel his heart racing, tensely anticipating what he is planning to do next.

A thump echoes through his apartment, and Kyungsoo nearly jumps a few feet in the air before he realizes what had made the sound. “Silly dog.” He mutters. He turns to look back at his bedroom door to confirm that it is closed. He doesn’t want his dog to barge into the room while he is executing his inane plan and accidentally kill him with a heart attack.

His heart is still beating loud and fast, but Kyungsoo bites his lip to keep from standing and running out of his damned bedroom before he loses his guts. With a quick movement, he turns to look at his left side and comes face to face with the empty space beneath his bed. He sags in relief when his worst nightmares are not actualized right there and then, but that action was only the first half of the battle.

He has to actually get under there to face his silly fear once and for all.

It had started when he was 9 years old, the constant fear that something was underneath his bed. It was silly, really, because it was roughly around the same time that his parents had bought him a bed with legs, very different from the kind that he had grown used to. The fear had started along with the arrival of his new bed, and his parents were sure that it was just a petty fear that came with the change in sleeping arrangements.

Younger Kyungsoo believed otherwise. He was deathly afraid of even dangling his limbs off the bed, for fear of whatever it was that was underneath it was going to grab him and…

His parents solved the problem by using the space beneath his bed to stock boxes and boxes of his old things in. _That way_ , they had rationalized, _there isn’t going to be space for anything else_. They had said that with an indulgent look at Kyungsoo’s direction, tired of weeks and weeks of Kyungsoo’s unsightly leaping from the bed to a space on his bedroom floor that was a considerable distance away from the bed itself just to get off the bed (and vice versa).

Now, nearly 10 years later, older Kyungsoo still believes that something is under his bed. The only difference is that he’s just recently moved into an apartment of his own, one his parents are indulgently paying for, for college. Different place, different bed, same fear. No boxes, as his parents had insisted on taking them away as soon as he unpacked all his things. _No need for any extra clutter for someone who’s starting fresh,_ his mother had tutted.  

So now, there were no security boxes under there. He hasn’t been able to sleep decently for weeks since the move, and he got a dog after the torturous first, to keep him company and to keep him sane. He’d realized what a bad idea that was once the dog wandered to his bedroom and under his bed the moment he brought it home, with Kyungsoo being too scared to chase after it. Unfamiliar thumping sounds had come from under the bed, and Kyungsoo had to stifle his shout with a fist in his mouth. He realized what it was once the dog emerged from under the bed, tail wagging excitedly.

“You’re not going near my bedroom.” He had announced to the whining ball of fur. “Or you’ll give me a heart attack with all the rummaging you do around under there.” He motioned to his bed with his head, and the dog followed his gaze with a tilt of its head.

He’d bought the dog a bed to sleep in and set it up in the living room, more than slightly envying the fact that the dog’s bed _didn’t have legs and a space underneath it where anything could be, something that was simply waiting for Kyungsoo to let down his guard to clamp cold fingers on his ankle and_ …

“Yeah, no, that’s not helping.” Kyungsoo shudders, shaking his head to clear his wandering thoughts from it. He's not doing this to scare himself further. He's supposed to get over his fear by facing it.

And so here he is, on all fours, staring at the space underneath his bed with wide eyes, convincing himself to get on with the plan and get it all over with.  

“Right.” Kyungsoo huffs. “Here goes.”

He grunts as he crawls under his bed, his small frame to his advantage, but still not quite, as the space is tighter than he had anticipated. He realizes that he has to flatten himself against the floor to properly get in the space beneath his bed, and he does so, head starting to throb painfully as he wheezes in anxiety. “C’mon Kyungsoo, you can do this.” He pep talks himself as he continues his journey to the crevice made by his bed and the wall one side of it is pushed up against.

He’s half in by the time Kyungsoo realizes that if he decides to back out anytime soon, it wouldn’t be an easy feat. He gulps. “No way to go but onwards.” He grits through his teeth tersely. One of his hands fumble to feel for his phone in his front pocket as a reassurance that it’s still there. It is, and Kyungsoo sighs with the little relief that knowledge brings him. He continues to shuffle under his bed and is mildly joyed to find out that he has enough space once fully under his bed to turn his body so that his back is against the floor. He clenches his eyes shut and does the turn quickly with baited breath just in case he sees anything less than natural if he does so slowly and with open eyes.

Once he’s fully settled, Kyungsoo opens his eyes slowly and breathes, body tense. “Well, this is stupid.” He says out loud to himself, to keep himself from freaking out with the deafening silence. “I don’t know what I could have been afraid of. It’s definitely scarier to be _under here_ than out and up there.” He exhales loudly. Still, he doesn’t move. It’s not like his fear is gone, just like that. Kyungsoo decides to stay longer, until such time that he could actually move around (to the best of his capacity, that is) and be sure that his ‘irrational’ fear is finally gone.

His breathing is still tight with tension, and Kyungsoo berates himself for being so nervous when he’s succeeded in actually getting under his bed, however silly the idea may have seemed earlier. “This is helping me. This is helping me.” He chants, inhales and exhales still unnaturally short.

The dog yelps from outside the door, and Kyungsoo nearly bangs his head on the underside of his bed in surprise. “Sweetie, calm down!” he shouts, voice muffled by his current location. “And don’t scare me the fuck to death.” He adds quietly, heart racing once more. The dog obeys, small feet padding away towards the kitchen. To rummage around for small crumbs of food lying around, Kyungsoo supposes.

The minutes tick by slowly. Kyungsoo’s sure that it’s been less than 30 minutes since he assumed his potition, but he is already shaking, both from fear and tiredness of tensing his body up too much. “Just a little bit longer…” he murmurs, feeling his body actually loosening up a bit more the longer he spends in the cramped space he has feared for years on end. He realizes that his breathing has become slower, more relaxed. Kyungsoo hums peacefully, closing his eyes.

\--

It’s dark when Kyungsoo opens his eyes once more, and something is off. This time, he really does smack his forehead on the underside of his bed when he tries to stand, only to be abruptly reminded of where he is. “Shit.” He curses, and his first instinct is to tense up once again, years and years of fear associated with the space under his bed. “Shit, shit.”

The apartment is quiet, and the dog is probably asleep in its own bed. _On it_ , Kyungsoo thinks bitterly. _And not stuck underneath it like the miserable being I am, thinking that crawling underneath my bed was going to solve my fear of it and whatever that could be in it._

On the plus side, Kyungsoo has had the most peaceful rest he’s had in days, ironic it may be. He smirks, thinking that his little exercise may have done him some good after all.

That’s when he hears it.

Soft whimpers that sounded deafening in the eerie silence of his bedroom.

And no, the sounds weren’t coming from outside the bedroom, but inside it.

From above the bed, to be exact.

The bed is dipping down in a way Kyungsoo’s sure it wasn’t when he crawled under it earlier.

It’s definitely not the dog.

There’s something, or someone, on his bed.

And it’s making those sounds.

Kyungsoo’s blood runs cold, and his breath hitches.

The sound continues, and Kyungsoo’s chest tightens in growing fear with each new whimper.

“Fuck.” Kyungsoo exclaims. He’s surprised at how his outburst is not a barrage of curses, but he’s oddly conflicted that what was to fear wasn’t under his bed all along. At least, it wasn’t there with him right now.

The whimpering stops at Kyungsoo’s exclamation.

Kyungsoo debates his next course of action. Stay in the cursed place of his doom, or go out and face the _actual_ object of his doom?

The dip in the bed moves, and Kyungsoo panics. “Wait, fuck, don’t crush me.” Are the first words that his mind chooses to spew out of his mouth. Practical.

The shifting stops, but now Kyungsoo is most assuredly sure that there really is something on his bed, _and I’m talking to it._ He realizes, and breaks out into a cold sweat.

This wasn’t what was supposed to happen when Kyungsoo made up his mind to face his fear once for all. This wasn’t how Kyungsoo imagined it to go. Not. At. All.

Kyungsoo grabs for his phone from his pocket and maneuvers his arm so that he is able to see its screen, not an easy thing to do, as the space is understandably crammed and he’s no contortionist, but he manages. It’s three in the morning. _Damn, how long was I asleep?_

“Listen.” He ventures, assuming that the _thing_ , whatever it is, at least understands him. “I’m sorry I invaded your space, okay?” he thinks he hears a petulant sniffle, but he’s not sure. “So, let me make you a deal, if you’re into that kind of stuff.” He stops, realizing too late that it probably wasn’t the best terminology to use, given that heavens knew what he's speaking with. It could be a demon after his soul, for all he knows.

Kyungsoo waits for a few agonizing minutes, but the ground doesn’t open up from underneath him and nothing comes to wrench him to the depths of the earth, so he assumes that he’s safe. _Relatively_.

“I really don’t want to face you, whatever you are, right now, okay? So I’m going to crawl out of here when daylight hits. By then, I hope that you won’t be… up and out there, and I promise that I’ll never go under here again. You can get your space back, for fuck’s sake. I’ll never bother you again. I’ll get bed covers that drape down so I won’t freak out with the gaping hole under my bed, and you’ll have your space back… but you have to promise me that you won’t bother me either, okay?” he rambles.

The bed creaks as the thing shifts, gingerly avoiding the general area where he’s sprawled out on and Kyungsoo assumes that that is an affirmative.

“Great. Now I’ll just have to wait for the sun to shine.” He mumbles, still on edge lest the thing suddenly decide to drag him _from_ under the bed.

But nothing happens.

\--

It’s the next day and Kyungsoo opens his eyes and realizes that once again, he has managed to fall asleep despite the fact that the last thing he remembers is being scared out of his wits. He remembers where he is this time, and he's careful not to accidentally hit his head again.

There is no unnatural dip on the bed, and Kyungsoo wonders if he’s dreamt the whole thing. He probably has, considering he was foolish enough to confront a childhood fear in a manner so abrupt. “I probably should have taken it slow.” He shakes his head. “At least I got decent sleep.” He sighs as he moves to shuffle out from under the bed. After a few moments filled with minor scuffles and uncomfortable positions, he manages to stand up and dust himself off.

The bed looks the same as how he left it before he began is outrageous experiment the day before, so Kyungsoo’s suspicion that he had dreamed the entire thing is corroborated. _Wild imagination, Kyungsoo. Very nice._ His realization of just how much of a vivid imaginer he is becomes the last nail on the coffin of his irrational fear. _Totally nothing to be afraid of_.

With a spring in his step, Kyungsoo opens the door to his bedroom to greet his overexcited puppy. “C’mon girl, let’s get you breakfast.” He says chirpily.

Ah, the effects of a good night’s sleep.

\--

The apartment is quiet save for the soft snoring of the puppy in the living room when Kyungsoo goes inside his bedroom and shuts the door behind him. He glances at the shadowy space beneath his bed and with a cheeky smirk at it, turns off the light and takes his time in walking over to his bed to get on it _properly_.

Nearly 10 years of irrational fear, all for nothing.

Kyungsoo hums contentedly as he turns over to his side to face the wall.

Just as he is about to drift off, he feels the unmistakable sensation of the bed dipping behind him, and something cold presses all over his back.


	2. ± Reinforcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is actually an alternate ending for the supposedly one-shot that I posted, but I asked my readers over on AFF if they wanted an alternate ending with Kaisoo in it and so this came into existence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos and/or a comment! I hope you like it!

_“Listen.” He ventures, assuming that the_ thing _, whatever it was, at least understands him. “I’m sorry I invaded your space, okay?” he thinks he hears a petulant sniffle, but he’s not sure. “So, let me make you a deal, if you’re into that kind of stuff.” He stops, realizing too late that it probably wasn’t the best terminology to use, given that heavens knew what he was speaking with. It could be a demon after his soul, for all he knew._

Tense minutes tick by slowly as Kyungsoo waits for a response. He inhales and exhales deeply to calm his jittery nerves and blinks his eyes rapidly to adjust to the darkness.

There is silence.

Kyungsoo ventures a soft, questioning, “Hello…?”

Nothing.

“Screw it.” He bites his lower lip and maneuvers his way out from under the bed in hurried, clumsy movements. He is back on all fours, crouching just beside his bed, looking down at the floor and breathing heavily when he’s finished. His heart is pounding as he cautiously turns his head to face the bed.

His arms wobble perilously and Kyungsoo almost falls smack onto the floor when his eyes register what he sees on the bed. “Holy f-“ he exclaims as he hastily scrambles backwards, the sharp pain of the wall hitting his back making him hiss.

The figure on his bed is decidedly human-shaped, but in the dim lighting of his room, Kyungsoo can’t quite make out the features. But now that he’s out from under his bed, Kyungsoo can hear the soft wheezing sounds coming from the figure. There is a movement in the dark, and Kyungsoo realizes with horror that the human-shaped figure is sitting with its back to him and _dear Lord in heaven_ , the head was turning to face him with a creaking sound.

Yes, just the head.

“FUC-!” Before Kyungsoo even finishes his expletive, he is uncomfortably pressed back against the wall and the thing is face to face with him, arms on either side of Kyungsoo’s folded legs. Fortunately, with all limbs in their proper angles, _unfortunately_ , the thing looks less than human up close.

It is generally human, yes, but the blank eyes with blood dripping from them is decidedly less so. Even in the darkness, Kyungsoo could tell that it is pale, way paler than him, paler than any living being, at that. The thing’s mouth and jaw are gaping open in a soundless scream, and the wheezing sounds so much closer now. Black lines that look like veins are in stark contrast with the creature’s pale complexion, and they run throughout his face and neck.

The thing is clothed, in what seems to be a torn pair of loose white shirt and black pants, and everything else about it is normal. Relatively. Messy dark hair, long limbs, which ensure that it- he…? will definitely tower over Kyungsoo , plush lips and a toned form that has Kyungsoo second-guessing his compromised position…

The creature tilts its head with more creaking sounds, and the angle gets a little unnatural, but Kyungsoo gulps his way through that realization. He feels cold, and he’s shivering uncontrollably when the thing reaches out with a freezing cold hand to haphazardly run down the side of his face.

“Uh…” Kyungsoo’s lying if he says that he didn’t nearly piss himself in that moment.

The creature’s unseeing eyes continue to stare unflinchingly, and Kyungsoo is only half aware that he is shaking in his seat.

The hand that was just on his face reaches over to touch Kyungsoo’s neck, and he flinches so hard he hits his back against the wall once again. The thing creaks its head back to an upright position and leans over to nose at Kyungsoo’s neck.

“What- ah, what are you doing?” He squeaks, pushing himself further against the wall, sweating hands slipping on the hardwood floor. He yelps, and ends up finding purchase on one of the creatures toned arms.

The thing turns its head so fast to look at his hand grabbing its arm, and Kyugsoo flounders. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to. Fuck, I…” he lets go, and inhales abruptly, breathing in the sharp scent of rotting flowers. He gags.

Kyungsoo nearly passes out when he sees the corners of the gaping mouth tug up, as if the thing’s amused at his predicament. When the thing proceeds to press up closer against him, he does.

\--

Kyungsoo wakes up to cold arms wrapped around him, and he fails in muffling the scream that comes out of him. The dog yaps in a frenzy outside his door. He turns and crawls out of the grasp in a panic, thankful that no limbs fall off either him or the thing in the process.

_He’s beautiful._

The thing, no, _boy_ beside Kyungsoo on the bed is not the creature he remembers staring at in his blurry memories. This boy’s skin is tanned just a bit more than his own, and when his eyes flutter open Kyungsoo could see that the brown orbs are not the same blank ones staring at him from the night before. But the clothes, and the cold, yes, those were definitely the same. The plush lips are pink, and the black veins are gone, but it is the same boy.

“… good morning?” the boy whispers shyly, when he sees that Kyungsoo is awake. His voice is low, husky, and Kyungsoo’s not sure of he’s still dreaming or not.

Kyungsoo is standing at the edge of the bed, back against the wall. “ _Good morning?!”_ He roars.

The boy blinks at him innocently and Kyungsoo resists the urge to kick him off the bed and back under it where he belongs.

“ _You fucking nearly make me piss myself and the only thing you can tell me is good morning?! Also, you fucking speak?”_ Kyungsoo’s not done with his tirade.

The boy winces, and Kyungsoo tries not to notice how he watches the boys lips move as he does so. “Uh, yeah. Sorry about that…” he offers weakly.

It’s Kyungsoo’s turn to wheeze, as he doesn’t know what else to scream that isn’t cliché enough in the situation.

“What’s your name?” he finally decides to ask.

The boy blinks. “Kai, I think.”

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. “You _think_?”

Kai shrugs noncommittally. “It’s been… quite a while.”

Kyungsoo’s mouth drops open. “Oh… yeah. Okay.”

There is an awkward silence between the two of them, punctuated by the incessant yipping and scratching of the dog outside Kyungsoo’s bedroom door.  “Uh, I have to… feed the dog.” Kyungsoo finally says, clearing his throat.

“R-right.” Kai says, moving to make space for Kyungsoo to pass.

Kyungsoo makes a move to step off the bed, but it wobbles beneath him and he nearly face plants to the floor if not for Kai’s grasp on his elbow. Kai’s very firm, _very cold_ grip. Kyungsoo gasps, and Kai immediately pulls back guiltily, fringes dipping low over his eyes. “Sorry.” He mumbles.

Kyungsoo nods wordlessly and makes his way off the bed, opening the bedroom door and ushering the excited puppy to the kitchen. When he returns to his bedroom, he finds his unwelcome visitor still on his bed. “It’s 12 in the afternoon.” He states flatly.

Kai looks up at him, confused. “Uh, yeah?”

Kyungsoo feels a tic on his right eye, and he’s sure that it’s twitching. “Do you mean to tell me that I slept for about 9 hours straight?” he doesn’t add the _in your arms_ part, it’s already getting too weird for that.

Kai nods. “Sure, yeah.”

Kyungsoo is floored. “I… I haven’t slept that long in ages.”

“You did pass out so…” Kai trails off when he sees Kyungsoo’s glare.

Kyungsoo walks over to where Kai is seated and pushes the other’s shoulders forcefully, strong enough for Kai to fall back on the bed with a small _oof_. Kyungsoo ignores the fact that it feels like he was touching a frozen cold pack. “What the fuck is the deal with you?”

Kai furrows his brows and looks up at Kyungsoo. “Hi, I’m Kai, and I’m the monster beneath your bed?”

“I already know that, the question is what _else_ is the deal with you? Why do you look different? What…just what?” Kyungsoo grits his teeth.

“Oh. Well I normally look like this,” Kai motions to himself with one hand. “Most of the time. What you saw last night only comes out when I feel threatened and… when I want to scare someone on purpose, really.”

“Oh yeah? Which one was it last night?” Kyungsoo challenges.

“Threatened, definitely.” Kai nods thoughtfully. “I mean, you _were_ in my territory.” He pouts.

Kyungsoo huffs, “Right.”

“I’m actually not a monster.” Kai muses, running a hand through his hair. “I think I’m a ghost or something. Died in my sleep during an earthquake, which explains my _residence_.” He shrugs. “Haven’t been able to leave since…”

Kyungsoo shudders. “Does that mean that I can’t get rid of you?”

Kai raises his head to look at Kyungsoo in the eye. “Do you want to?”

Kyungsoo steps back, surprised at the sudden question. “I- I don’t know. I would imagine that no one would normally want a ghost in their house.”

Kai hums thoughtfully and drops his head back against the bed. “If I promise not to scare you, can I stay? It’s just… I haven’t known any other place to stay since…”

Kyungsoo squirms. “I don’t know. It could get weird.”

Kai abruptly sits up and grabs Kyungsoo so the smaller yelps when he ends up straddling Kai and looking right into his eyes. The cold is all over his thighs and Kyungsoo freezes.

“You said it yourself. You haven’t slept better in ages.” Kai grins, grabbing Kyungsoo’s arms with his hands. “I could… take care of you.” He smiles, eyes turning into crescents, as if his words aren’t suggestive enough.

Kyungsoo blushes furiously. “What are you…”

Kai chuckles and knocks his forehead against Kyungsoo’s. “All I’m saying is, you’re not exactly running away from me screaming right now.” He blows playfully at Kyungsoo’s face so the other blinks.

Kai plants a cold peck on Kyungsoo’s forehead. “So, what do you say? Can I stay?”

Kyungsoo flails and falls back on his bum on the floor. “I’ll… think about it.” He squeaks.

\--

Kyungsoo yawns as he enters his bedroom, barely aware that the dog had sidestepped him as he closed the door and was now headed merrily towards the bottom of his bed. “Hey, no.” he reacts, reaching an arm out to grab the dog. He stops in his tracks when a familiar wheezing reaches his ears as the dog wags its tail at something… or someone under the bed. A pale hand with black veins reaches out to pat the dog and Kyungsoo remains rooted to the spot.

“Kai, please fucking stop scaring me like that.” He calmly says.

The dog yelps in surprise as it is dragged under the bed at an inhumane speed and moments later, a chuckling Kai emerges from it, cuddling the dog towards his chest. He is now in his more human-looking form, and as he grins crookedly at Kyungsoo, the other boy can’t help but smile back despite the thundering heartbeat in his chest.

“Hey.” He mumbles shyly at Kyungsoo.

“Hi.” Kyungsoo responds.

“Ready to go to bed?” Kai asks, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Sure, let me just get the little one to bed.”

\--

The apartment is quiet save for the soft snoring of the puppy in the living room when Kyungsoo goes inside his bedroom and shuts the door behind him. He glances at the shadowy space beneath his bed and with a cheeky smirk at it, turns of the light and takes his time in walking over to his bed to get on it _properly_.

Nearly 10 years of irrational fear, all for nothing.

Kyungsoo hums contentedly as he turns over to his side to face the wall.

Just as he is about to drift off, he feels the unmistakable sensation of the bed dipping behind him, and something cold presses all over his back.

Cold arms wrap themselves around him, and Kyungsoo freezes, heart thudding in his chest. He smiles and slides closer to press up against the form behind him, knowing that he’s going to have one of the best sleeps in his life.

Fear of the unknown has kept him up for years on end. 

But now fear is his lullaby.

Who said fear had to go away for one to overcome it?


End file.
